Thomas f



(No Model.)

T. F. GARDNER & M. J. OARNEY.

GAR FENDER.

No. 553,849. Patented Peb. 4, 18596.

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NITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS F. GARDNER AND MICHAEL J. OARNEY, OF PITTSTON, PENNSYL- VANIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,849, dated February 4, 1896,

Application filed 1 1118 27, 1895- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THoMAs F. GARDNER and MICHAEL J. CARNEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittston, in the county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Fenders; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-fenders particularly intended for use with cable or electric street-cars and the like.

The objects of our invention are to produce a cheap andeffective fender, and especially to provide means for preventing persons falling into the scoop from being thrown out.

lVith these and other objects in view our invention, broadly considered, consists in a scoop having a bottom or receptacle which is intended to receive the person struck by the car-fender and which is actuated by the weight of such person to operate mechanism whereby the said person is prevented from falling out of the scoop.

Our invention consists, further, in the details of construction and combination of parts, which will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view'of a' device embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same, dotted lines showing the platform down and the apron raised. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view showing the corner-posts.

Referring to the drawings, A A are front and rear cross-bars respectively, connected by side sills A to form a bottom frame, the front cross-bar, A, being cut away at its front side and beveled downward and backward, as shown at a, for a purpose hereinafter described.

From the bottom frame rise corner-posts, the rear ones, B, being preferably somewhat taller than the front ones, B, and connected at their upper ends by a cross-plate b.

The front posts, B, are grooved on their inner faces, as shown at b, the said grooves extending the full length of the posts and also Serial No. 554,253. (No model.)

a short distance into the front cross-liar, A, as shown in Fig. 2.

To the front cross-bar, A, is hinged a plat-- form or bot-tom O, in this case made of a U- shaped frame covered with suitable netting, preferably of wire.

In the two grooves b travels a guide bar or rod D, to which is attached a flexible apron d, in this case composed. of slats connected to each other by cords d, which may be of wire or any other suitable material.

To the under surface of the bottom frame are secured rollers or pulleys, around which the endless apron d passes, rollers E E being shown in the drawings.

The apron, of slats, cloth or other material, passes below the front roller, E, and above themiddle roller, E, the latter serving to hold the apron from sagging down.

To the rear end of the apron are attached, preferably, a pair of cords F, which, after passing around a rear roller, E .or other device for changing their direction, are connected to the rear end of the platform 0.

To the guide-bar d are attached a pair of cables F, of chain, wire or rope, which pass over pulleys f, secured to the front posts, B, thence over pulleys f at the rear, and are secured also to the rear end of the platform G.

The normal position of the platform is with its rear end elevated so that the said platform is on an incline from the front cross-bar toward the rear of the scoop.

The length of the apron dis such that when the platform is in its normal position the guide-bar D is resting With its ends at the bottom of the grooves 19 and with its top edge flush with or below the upper surface of the front cross-bar, While the rear end of the apron extends back beneath the scoop. To protect the apron and at the same time lessen the chances of injuring any person struck by the fender, a guard II extends across the front of the fender and may be padded or otherwise arranged so as to be elastic, if desired.

The fenderis provided with sides I and back I, of netting or other suitable material.

The rear of the scoop is provided with any suitable means for attaching it to the car, in this case a series of hooks K being shown, which are adapted to enter loops in the dash ICU . not as far to fall, while on the other hand as of the car, or the lower hooks may be inserted in hooks, while the upper ones may rest 011 the dashrail.

The operation of our device thus far described is as follows: When a person is struck by the fender, he will fall onto the bottom or platform 0, which upon receiving his weight will immediately drop downward, and in so doing will draw the guide-bar D and the apron d upward until the platform is horizontal, in which position it rests upon the side sills A which it overlaps. In this position the guidebar is at or near the top of the front posts, B, and the front of the fender is closed by the apron, so that the person caught is protected from falling out again.

It will be observed that in the construction just described the platform is made to swing downward and is normally in an inclined positi on. By this arrangement the person struck is less liable to be hurt than if the platform were normally horizontal, since there is the platform swings down the shock of the fall is broken, and all danger of an elastic rebound is avoided. This we deem as an essential feature of our fender, independently of the apron device which also shuts off all egress through the front of the fender.

It is to be understood that the inertia and friction of the apron and cords are sufficient to retain the platform in its normal position until a person falls on the said platform.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-fender, the combination, with a scoop, of a downward-swinging platform, hinged at its front end, an apron arranged to travel upward in front of the scoop, and a 40 grooves, substantially as described.

3. In a cal-fender, the combination, with a scoop, of an apron extending beneath the scoop, a guide-bar attached to the front edge of said apron, means for guiding said guidebar to cause it to travel upward, a movable platform and connections between the platform and guide-bar for operating the latter, substantially as described.

4. In a car-fender, the. combination, with a scoop, of an apron, a series of rollers at the bottom of the scoop over which the apron travels, a guide-bar secured to the front end of the apron, erect guide devices in which the said guide-bar moves, and means for drawing said guide-bar upward in the guides, when a person is struck and caught in the scoop, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS F. GARDNER. MICHAEL J. OARNEY.

lVit-nesses JAS. P. BLACK, EVA A. TERRY. 

